


Changes

by Little_Goddess_Aries



Category: Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2020-12-27 12:06:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 11,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21118517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Little_Goddess_Aries/pseuds/Little_Goddess_Aries
Summary: Persephone has had a lot change in her life recently. With her newfound independence, more changed are on the horizon.





	1. Chapter 1

Persephone sighed as she laid her head over the back of her claw foot bathtub. The water was as hot as she could stand it and had lavender petals floating all around her. She had soothing music playing through her phone and the bathroom was lit by candlelight alone. Breathing in the relaxing scent, she sighed again.

Tonight was self care night - a night full of cleansing face masks, a relaxing bath, and a much needed sleep in her new bed. Seriously, this bed felt like sleeping on a cloud. Coming home at the end of a long day and collapsing into bed was now her new favorite thing.

She was glad to finally have a night to clear her head, even if it was just for a few moments. A lot had happened over the course of the last week and she was absolutely exhausted in every sense of the word.

Persephone finally got out of the TGOEM program. That was difficult. There was a lot of arguing, tears, frustration, and hurt feelings. Demeter was furious that her precious Kore has deviated from the life plan she had carefully orchestrated for her.

_“UNGRATEFUL CHILD!”_

Persephone rolled her eyes as she thought about her mother blowing up over something as silly as her wanting to make her own decision about something once in her life.

_  
“I am NOT a child anymore!”_

She sighed. She couldn’t remember a time she had ever yelled at her mother that way. Watching all of the events continue to play out in her memory like a movie exhausted her even more. Above all, the way Artemis reacted to the news hurt more than anything. She wouldn’t even make eye contact with Persephone the whole rest of the meeting. The Goddess of the Hunt just couldn’t understand why the Goddess of Spring could, how did she put it again..? Oh yeah - throw away everything she could be for MEN.

She stood in front of the women of TGOEM (and her mother) to have a very calm and logical discussion about her decision to leave. She explained her desire for more than a life of celibacy and service to others in the ways the organization required. You would have thought she came in there and spit in each of their faces from the way they acted towards her.

In an attempt to make her change her mind, they told her she would no longer be funded for school and she would have to pay back every cent of her loan.

_ “I refuse to help you! You got yourself into this mess, and you can get yourself out!” _ Persephone had seen that coming… she may be young, but she was definitely not stupid. She pulled out an envelope full of money - the entire cost of the tuition she had received _ ‘down to the last cent.’ _ Watching all of their jaws drop when she handed over the money is a memory she planned to replay in her head many times. It still made her snicker. She had never been more proud of herself. Receiving that paid internship at Underworld Corp had really helped her out of this.

Then, Artemis… she announced that Persephone could no longer live with her. _ “I stuck my neck out for you and offered to let you live in my home with the understanding that you would be initiated into TGOEM. Since you’re not doing that anymore, you can’t live with me.” _ THAT hurt. And the smug look on her mother’s face at this announcement continued to make her angry, even now.

She was so grateful that she had such amazing people in her life to help her get started on her new journey. She had confided in Hera about her plans to leave the organization and the Queen of the Gods was almost giddy to help with whatever she needed - including a new place to live and furniture so she wouldn’t be sitting in a completely empty place.

Persephone soaked in her tub, in her bathroom, in her place… she had it all to herself. She listened to the absolute absence of other people and enjoyed every second of it.

* * *

Wearing her fluffy robe and her hair wrapped in a towel, she walked out of her bathroom and flopped onto her bed. She had never felt so comfortable in all her life. She got back out of bed and walked to her chest of drawers, grabbing her favorite shorts and putting them on. She walked to her closet to put on her favorite hoodie and to hang her robe up on the inside of the closet door. Finally she took the towel off of her head, shook her hair around, and ran her fingers through her shoulder length, silky locks. Draping the towel across the back of the chair of her vanity, she walked back over to her bed and grabbed her cell phone from the end table as she sat down.

Persephone decided to spend some time perusing Fatesbook… it had become a guilty pleasure for her. Nothing interesting was happening lately. Eros dominated her timeline with photos of everything - parties, shopping trips, whatever food he ordered when he was out eating, selfies in new outfits. She chuckled and made a mental note to text him later and make plans to hang out. She really missed him.

Her scrolling stopped abruptly. She stared at her phone, eyes transfixed on a photo. _ Hades and Minthe. _ Persephone absolutely hated the heat of anger and jealousy that overcame her when she saw or heard anything about them. She wished the feeling would just go away already, but that wouldn’t happen until she was over her infatuation with Hades.

“I guess they’re still together.” she said out loud to no one. She threw herself backwards onto her pillows.

Persephone had BASICALLY told Hades how she felt… right? I mean, she openly flirted with him and even kissed his cheek. What wasn’t obvious about that? He acted like he was interested, but he never made any moves - he only kept on with this ridiculous relationship (if you can even call it that) with Minthe. Being without him was making her miserable and she was tired of feeling this way. She needed help.

She opened her text messages on her phone and brought up a text thread with Hera.

Persephone: Hey, Hera!

Persephone: I am loving my place still! Everything is perfect!

Persephone: I was wondering if we could talk soon. I need your advice on… boy stuff.

She groaned as she hit send.

***INCOMING CALL*  
** **HERA**


	2. Chapter 2

Persephone was inspecting herself in the full length mirror on the back of her bedroom door. Her hair was up in a messy bun that was held in place by a beautiful rhinestone flower clip. She wore an adorable yellow sundress with white daisies all over it and dainty white sandals. Giving one last adjustment to the dress, she grabbed a gauzy white cardigan to complete the look… she didn’t want to expose too much skin while attending brunch with Hera at her home.

Satisfied with how she looked, she took her phone, her purse, and her keys and walked outside. With a deep breath she climbed into the waiting ride, sent by the Queen.

* * *

When they arrived, Persephone thanked the driver and walked up to the door. She knocked and then began nervously fidgeting with the bottom of her cardigan.

The door opened and she saw a tiny yellow goddess with a large smile on her face.

“Hello, Miss Persephone! We’ve been expecting you!”

“You must be Hebe!”

“That’s right! If you’ll follow me, I’ll lead you to my mother… brunch will be served on the lanai!”

Persephone giggled at the little goddess and followed her happily as she was led outside. The lanai overlooked a beautiful garden full of bright flowers and incredible fragrances. She closed her eyes and breathed the scent deeply into her lungs. A gentle throat clear behind her brought her back to the moment. She turned around and saw Hera. She was stunning as always with her hair perfectly coiffed and the most amazing dress that hugged her figure.

“I’m so glad you’re here! Oh, you look darling! I adore your dress! Oh, yes… this will be perfect.”

“Thank yo-wait… I’m so sorry but what will be perfect?”

“Never mind! We have brunch and some catching up to do… especially after your text!”

The goddesses sat down. The table was beautiful. It was draped with the most elegant lace that Persephone had ever seen. There was a tiered platter full of fruits and finger sandwiches. There were small, delicate vases with pink roses. As they settled in at the table, Hebe glided over and poured iced tea into the crystal glasses. Persephone had never been to such a fancy brunch and she began to feel extremely underdressed. She was fidgeting with her clothing again.

“So… what is this ‘boy stuff’ you wanted to talk to me about?” Hera had a wicked grin on her face and a dangerous twinkle in her eyes.

“Oh! Uh… well… I kinda want to explore dating. I’m not sure how any of this works. I don’t even know where to meet guys or how to talk to them, apparently.”

“Apparently? Does that mean you’ve tried?”

“What?! No! I mean… I just mean… ugh. There was this guy from, uh, work. But..” she took a deep breath. “ButHeHasaGirlfriendAndHeIsntInterestedInMe” She was so nervous that she blurted everything out so fast it was a jumbled mess. She covered her face with her hands in embarrassment. She looked up to see Hera practically beaming. Persephone furrowed her brow in confusion and stared at the golden goddess.

“Oh, honey!” She said in an overly dramatic way. “I have the perfect solution!” She paused to look at something back inside the house. “And here it is!” She waved someone over to them. “Hello, my son! Won’t you come here, please?” She grinned wickedly.

* * *

A very attractive god walked outside to join them. He wore a black T-shirt and grey sweatpants. His tangerine skin was very bright against the dark shirt and his hair was messy, like he had recently woken up. He was very muscular and toned in a very obvious way. Even in the casual loungewear he had on, you could see his abs. He bore many scars that were in view with his clothing on… Persephone started to wonder how many he had under his clothes. Under his clothes… and… across his broad chest, his rock hard abs, his chiseled arms.

Persephone’s face began to feel hot and she realized she had been staring at him. She immediately averted her gaze to her cold drink and attempted to regain some of her composure. She took a sip, hoping that it would cool the burning in her cheeks.

“Sweetheart, this is Persephone! My dear, meet my son, Ares!”

Ares glanced down at the small pink goddess and gave a slight head nod.

“Hey. Nice to meet you.”

“N..ni… nice meet to you too. OH! I mean, nice to meet you too!” _Sugar snaps._

Ares looked at her like she had two heads. She blushed the deepest shade of magenta. She had to hold on to the arm of the chair she was sitting in to keep from bolting away.

“Honey! Why don’t you sit here in my seat and get better acquainted with Persephone while I go… do something in another room!” Hera practically cackled as she darted back into the house. Persephone stared at her retesting form in shock.

Ares stiffly sat down and started stuffing finger sandwiches into his mouth. Persephone tried to keep from staring at him. Several times he would look up and catch her eye before she whipped her head away from him so fast he was sure she was going to get whiplash. He couldn’t help grinning a little bit. She was kinda cute.

He watched her fidgeting with the hem of her dress and found himself admiring the way her bangs fell over the side of her face and the way the sun made her eyes sparkle. Realizing that now _ he _was staring, his cheeks flushed a little and he looked down at the tiny sandwich in his large hand.

* * *

Hera was practically smashing her face against the window looking out at them. She watched the exchange between them and beamed. Finally she was able to do a proper matching. She had given Hades every opportunity to make his move. Hell, even Persephone tried (in her own way) to show she had an interest in him, but he just couldn’t seem to drop that damn nymph. So, until he could start making better choices, she would use her talents elsewhere. If what she was witnessing on the lanai at this moment was any indication of things to come, Hades may have missed his shot. Oh well, she had tried.

“Mother!” Hera nearly jumped out of her skin. Hebe marched over to her mother, arms crossed in front of her chest.

“I thought lurking was a pervert’s sport!”

“SHH! Be quiet!” She hissed. “And I’m not lurking. I’m working!”

Hebe rolled her eyes then joined her mother at the window.

“Ok, fine.” She huffed. “So what’s happening out there?”

“We will find out soon enough. I’m just putting the pieces in place… I don’t know how they’ll fall yet.”

* * *

“So. Aren’t you new to Olympus?” Ares asked in an attempt to make conversation.

“Yeah. I grew up in the mortal realm. I almost wasn’t able to move to Olympus. My mother didn’t want me living here.”

“Oh. Why not?” He was genuinely curious.

“Uh… well… she didn’t think it would be ‘safe’ for me and she doesn’t like the way Zeus runs things.” She squeaked. “Oops! I’m sorry! That was probably a little rude of me.”

“Ha! You’re fine. I mean, she’s not wrong.” He shrugged.

“My mom is kind of... ‘intense’ would be a good way to put it, I guess.”

“I wouldn’t know _ anything _ about that.” He said sarcastically, throwing a look towards the window his mother’s face was pressed against.

Hera gasped and disappeared from the window. Ares shook his head. He looked up again and met the eyes of the beautiful pink goddess. He cleared his throat.

“Since you’re new, I guess I could show you around. If you want, that is. I’ve been gone for a while and it would be kinda nice to reacquaint myself with Olympus.”

“Sure!” She practically screeched. _ Woah, that was way too loud. Chill out! _She cleared her throat and lowered her voice back to a normal volume. “I mean, yes, that sounds lovely!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes... the grey sweatpants and the rolled sleeves was absolutely on purpose lol who doesn’t swoon over those particularly sexy articles or clothing 😉


	3. Chapter 3

Ares sat on the edge of his bed. Maybe spending time with Persephone would be kind of fun. And maybe it would help get his mind off of his perpetual back and forth relationship with Aphrodite. Right now it was more back than forth, but still. Maybe seeing that I’ve ‘moved on’ with the cute Goddess of Spring will really light a fire under Dites’ ass.

He shrugged as he leaned down to tie his shoes. He was wearing a pair of nice fitting jeans and a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to just below his elbows. He wore his favorite pair of black riding boots and a belt to match. He gave his hair one last look - still messy, but it’s as good as it’s gonna get.

* * *

Why did she feel guilty? It's not like she was cheating on Hades… you can’t cheat on someone you’re not even dating! Still, Persephone had this heavy weighted feeling of guilt in the pit of her stomach. This was her choice, though, right? She wanted this, didn’t she? Wasn’t she the one that went to Hera and asked her to help her date men? Hades clearly wasn’t interested. She couldn’t wait around to see if he would ever want her the way she wanted him. Maybe he really did just want to be friends. As much as it hurt, she would respect his wishes. It was time for her to move on.

Ares is a very handsome god. He’s clearly a little rough around the edges, completely unlike Hades, but she also kind of liked that about him. Maybe spending time with him would be a good thing… maybe then she will get over this silly crush she has on the unavailable King of the Underworld. 

Forcing herself out of this thought spiral about Hades, Persephone continued getting ready for her date. Date. That was weird to think. She had never been on a date before, if that’s even what this is. And now she’s nervous for a whole other set of reasons. How is she supposed to act on a date? How does a date even go?? Is this a date? Oh great… now I’m gonna blow it big time. She rolls her eyes and sighs. There’s nothing she can really do about it now.

She stands facing her closet, trying to decide which dress would be most appropriate. She carefully examines each hanging garment more than once before finally making her decision. She chooses a gorgeous black dress. It’s not too formal, but definitely not casual. She bites her bottom lip as she holds it up against her body. Content with the choice, she carefully removes it from the hanger and puts it on. 

The dress is stunning on her – it has a neckline that scoops just above her breast, showing ample amounts of cleavage. Glittering navy-blue stones create beautiful roses wrapping from just below her left breast, around her torso, and ending right above the slit in the middle of her thigh. The dress comes down to just below her knee and clings to her every curve.

She twists her hair into an elegant up-do and secures it with bobby pins. She puts the finishing touches on her makeup and added an elegant pair of navy-blue studs to her newly pierced ears. Satisfied with how she looks, she places her phone in her clutch bag and slips her feet in her peep-toe black heels. She is now officially ready for her first date.

* * *

Persephone walks towards Ares as he was waiting for her at his sleek red car. He opens her door and looks up, finally seeing her up close. His mouth slightly falls open at the sight of her. He never realized how beautiful she is. This stunning goddess, pink skin glowing brighter in the night and against the blackness of her dress, is walking towards him – it feels like time has completely slowed down. He sees the stones on her dress glimmering as the moonlight hits them and they draw his eyes down and fully around her body, following their trail. As the trail ends, he can’t help himself continuing past the slit in her dress and down her silky legs.

She stands before him, fidgeting with her clutch bag. When he doesn’t move, or blink, she gently clears her throat. Ares snaps out of his trance and his eyes widened.

“Sorry! It’s just… you look… you…”

“I’m overdressed, aren’t I? Shoot! Give me just a few minutes and I’ll run back inside and change really quickly! I promise I won’t be long!”

She turned quickly but before she could sprint back towards her apartment, a strong hand gently grabbed her hand. Persephone gasped and turned around - finding herself face to face with the God of War.

“You look absolutely stunning. There’s no need to change, you look perfect.” He gave her a charming smile. She giggled and tucked some hair behind her ear trying to hide the fact that she was blushing.

Ares placed his hand at the small of her back and guided her to the open car door. He waited for her to settle in before he closed her door and walked to his side of the car.


	4. Chapter 4

Hades sat at a table, illuminated by candlelight. He was surrounded by the sounds of conversations at neighboring tables. He stared down at his menu, but he wasn’t actually reading anything. His mind was elsewhere, his eyes unfocused.

“Are you even listening to me??”

Hades mind snapped back to his present whereabouts. He glanced over at the red nymph and squinted.

“Uh, no. Sorry. I was thinking about… work. There’s a situation that I need to work out. I apologize. What were you saying?” He sighed and looked back down at his menu, reading the options this time.

“I SAID that I think we should go away for a weekend. Of course, I’ll need a new wardrobe! Thetis and I can go shopping so she can help me pick out thing we will _both_ enjoy.” She winked at him – he could tell she was trying to be enticing, but it wasn’t working on him. He grunted a form of acknowledgement.

“Ok, so it’s settled then. This weekend she and I will go shopping… and we will just put it on the tab!” He looked up at her, slightly taken aback.

“Whatever. That sounds fine. Just… don’t spend too much.”

“What is _too much_ when it’s something special for _us_! Oh! I’ll also need your card that day! I want to treat Thetis to lunch as a ‘thank you’ for giving up her day to help me!”

Hades groaned. He didn’t want her spending a fortune on stuff she will never wear or on lunch for someone he doesn’t even like. Last time they planned a weekend away and he gave her use of the store accounts, she had racked up a huge bill and then cancelled the trip last minute because she _“wasn’t feeling well”. _He rolled his eyes. It wasn’t worth the argument anymore. He was growing very accustomed to his cage.

* * *

With their orders placed, Hades realized he had nothing to distract himself with to avoid paying attention to Minthe and her mind-numbing chatter. She never talked about anything other than shoes, clothes, wine, Thetis, and dropping not-so-subtle hints about what sort of jewelry and other expensive things she wanted him to buy for her. The only reason he even took her out to dinner was to keep her from throwing a fit and screaming at him. At this point, it was easier just to give her what she wanted and keep his head down. So that’s what he did. She prattled on and on, unaware that Hades was staring off into space. He sipped his scotch, letting the warm liquid comfort him.

That’s when he saw her. His eyes coming back into focus at the sight, he sat up and stared wide-eyed across the restaurant. There was Persephone. She was a vision – dressed in black. _Gods she looks good in black._ He watched her glide gracefully through the restaurant as the hostess led her to a table. _Them._ _She’s with someone._ His heart immediately plummeted to his stomach. His face fell but was quickly followed by a scowl when he saw Ares with his hands on her voluptuous hips. Hades felt his face growing hot with anger.

“Oh my gods! Look who just walked in! That little tart is on the arm of yet _another_ god.” Minthe cackled. Hades almost missed the side-eyed look she threw his way. He rolled his eyes at her.

“She sure does get around, doesn’t she? She couldn’t take _my_ god away from me, so she’s going after Aphrodite’s! Good luck. I can’t wait for that little tramp to get what’s coming to her!”

Hades slammed his drink down on the table – admittedly harder than he meant to.

“That’s enough!” He glowered at her, growing angrier at seeing the pleasure on her face. Pleasure at his pain. He felt fire in his eyes. His skin was going black… he knew it by the look in her eyes. She had pushed him too far.

“Calm down, big blue! I was only making an observation!”

* * *

Persephone heard a loud bang from across the restaurant. She jumped and squeaked. Ares chuckled at her. She glanced around the room and completely froze when she saw him. _Hades._ The God of War gave her a puzzled look before following her gaze. A knowing smile crept across his face.

“Well would you look at that… Uncle Hades is here, and he brought that little river nymph with him. I swear, all I hear about from my parents is how much disgrace Hades brings on the family by constantly parading that _“relationship”_ all around.”  
  


Persephone couldn’t tear her eyes away from their table. She watched as Minthe sipped her wine and ran her fingertips up and down the king’s arm. Her heart sank. There was a familiar prickling in her eyes as tears threatened to spill out.

“I… I need to excuse myself for a moment. I have to – to… uh, powder my nose! I’ll be back.” She practically sprinted from the table towards the bathroom. She found her way to a stall in the very back and latched the door shut. _Breathe. You knew they were still together… that’s why you’re here with Ares. Don’t be a fool and cry over a man that doesn’t even want you. Suck it up. Stop acting like a dumb village girl._ She took a deep, steadying breath and hurried over to the mirrors. She wet a paper towel and began wiping the smudged makeup from her face. With a final deep breath, she composed herself and exited the bathroom.

** _*THUMP*_ **

She looked up to see what she slammed into only to find the King of the Underworld looking down at her.


	5. Chapter 5

Persephone squeaked and jumped backwards.

“Oh! S-Sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was going…”

“I-it’s ok. You have nothing to apologize for.” Hades rubbed his hand on the back of his neck.

They stood in front of each other, the awkwardness palpable. There was so much Hades wanted to say to her, but he didn’t know where to start. Persephone had been distant with him since that night at Hera’s house. He missed her.

“It’s… uh… it’s good to see you, Kore. You l-look very…” _ravishing, stunning, incredible…_ “you look very nice.” _Nice one, stupid._

She couldn’t keep herself from blushing. She hated feeling like this and missing him so much. She wanted nothing more than to give him a hug until that miserable look left his face. This wasn’t fair to her, though. He had clearly made his choice.

“Thank you. Well, I have to get back to my…d-date and I’m sure you don’t want to keep your girlfriend waiting, so-“ She straightened her posture and began walking away from the king, sadness wrapping tightly around her heart.

“Kore…” Persephone froze. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Her tone was flat – completely unlike her. It cut him deeply.

“No. It’s not.” He turned towards her, reaching out and gently touching her arm. She shivered. He couldn’t stand the distance between them. He hated that he was out to dinner without her and that the goddess before him was here, looking devastatingly gorgeous, with another man.

“Hades, I-“ She turned around and looked up at him. The pain in her eyes knocked the air out of his lungs. He was the reason she was so sad. He was too afraid to believe that she might actually have feelings for him, and he blew it. He stayed with Minthe, even after everything she had put him through.

* * *

Ares sat at the table, noticing the exchange between the King of the Underworld and the Goddess of Spring. A devious smile spread across his face. He pushed his chair away from the table and stood tall as he strode across the restaurant to the bathroom areas.

“Hey, hellcat! I was wondering where you’d gotten off to! Everything ok over here?” Ares made his way to Persephone’s side and snaked his arm around her waist. Hades body went rigid, his face hard. The God of War gave him a wicked grin.

“Yes… yes, everything is fine.”

“I apologize for monopolizing your _date_,” Hades growled through clenched teeth.

“Come on, beautiful. Allow me to escort you back to _our_ table so we can continue our evening!” Ares reached out his elbow for the pink goddess. She took his arm and left the king standing alone. Heartbroken, he watched her glide to her table and seat herself in the chair that the god had pulled out for her. This was a nightmare.

He stomped away and back towards his table, plopping himself down across from Minthe. His face was contorted with anger and jealousy. He grabbed his scotch, but this time he took the entirety of the drink at once instead of sipping it. He felt his eyes burning red, heat was practically radiating from his skin. _I need to calm down. Losing my cool will only make things worse._

“Another drink, big blue?”

Hades jumps at the sound of Minthe’s voice. He had completely forgotten that he wasn’t alone. He looks up to see this mischievous look on her face. _What’s her deal?_

“Yes. But I have scotch at home. Get the food to go, I want to leave. I’ll be in the car.” He got up and stormed to the hostess stand. He handed her cash to pay for their meal and walked out. The hostess looked a little flustered and confused, but she said nothing.

* * *

“So… you wanna tell me what _that_ was all about? Or do I get to guess?” Ares winked and threw her a sly smile.

“Oh… uh… that was n-nothing.”

“Yeah, sure. Ok… let me see – “ He tapped his chin, pretending to be in deep thought. “You’re in love with Uncle Hades. And he chose that trashy nymph over you. Now you’re… trying to get back at him for rejecting you? Am I close?” He was practically beaming. Persephone rolled her eyes at him. _He’s such a jerk sometimes._

“You’re way off. None of that is right!”

“Liar!” He let out a very loud, very obnoxious laugh. She blushed and looked around.

“Shh! FINE! I _had _a crush him, but he clearly has a girlfriend and I’m interested in…” She slapped her hands to her face and groaned. “Just shut up! I don’t want to talk about it anymore!”

“Alright, let’s order.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to go ahead and post one of the chapters I had worked on last week - sorry it’s kinda short. I’ve written a little this week but I’m not happy with it, so I’ll probably make some major changes... I just have to get in a better headspace. It’s been a rough week.
> 
> I really hope you guys like this chapter. Thanks for sticking it out with me and for reading ♥️ You’re all wonderful and I appreciate all of the comments and kudos you leave.


	6. Chapter 6

Hades didn’t speak the entire ride home, which is just as well because Minthe never shut up. He glared out the window, lost in the drive back to the Underworld. _What in the hell could she possibly see in him? He’s such a putz. He’s also **really** lucky that he’s my nephew._

“HELLO?!”

Hades jumped when the nymph spoke… he had apparently tuned her out so well that he had completely forgotten she was in the car.

“What?”

“What is with you tonight? You haven’t listened to a word I’ve said all night. I looked up at the restaurant and you were darting towards the bathrooms. Then you came back and demanded you wanted to leave. You sick or something?”

“Uh… y-yeah. That’s it. I’m sick. I just want to go home and sleep.”

“Ugh. Just take me home then, if you’re going to act like a baby. I’m going out with Thetis for drinks… I’ll just have her bring me to my car tomorrow, or whenever.” Her tone was sharp, and it was obvious she was trying to get a rise out of him. She was thoroughly annoyed that it didn’t seem to be working at all.

“Just let me out here. And give me your card. I’m treating for drinks tonight since you owe it to me for how you’re acting, and I want to thank Thetis for being there for me when you’re being an asshole.”

Hades stomped on the brakes, sending them lurching forward when the car came to a sudden stop. He glared at the nymph, his eyes glowing dangerously red.

“NO! I’m _not_ giving you my card because you want to be a brat. I don’t want you going shopping on MY accounts, and we are NOT going away this weekend on _my_ dime. You have a job and your own money, so use THAT. If it’s something you can’t afford, then try working harder! I’m not a damn ATM machine!” His skin had started to darken, and he was becoming uncomfortably too large for his small sports car. He had clearly lost the control on his anger.

Minthe reacted exactly the way she always did – huge, fake tears and overly dramatic sobs. Hades rolled his eyes, his anger dangerously close to exploding out of him completely. When he didn’t react the way she wanted, she called him a bunch of names before slamming his car door and stomping off. _Great. I’ll be dealing with that later._ He sped off towards his house, growling and grumbling all the way home.

* * *

Still in the throes of his temper tantrum, Hades stomped into the house, slamming every door he passed on his way to his bedroom. He knew he needed to calm down, but he didn’t feel like it right now. He was fine being petulant. _Hellcat?? He already has nicknames for her? I can’t believe she’s dating that pompous idiot._ He stalked around his room removing his suit and paused to look at himself in the mirror. His face fell. _Of course, she would want someone like him over someone like me. He’s younger and even though he’s the God of War, he doesn’t stink of death like I do. She’s a gorgeous flower and she deserves someone better than me._ Hades sighed and sat down on the end of his bed, head in his hands. Cerberus carefully made his way into the room and over to his master. With a whimper, he gently licked the back of Hades’ hands. Absentmindedly, Hades scratched behind the ears of his obsidian guard dog.

  
“It’s ok, boy. I’m alright. I’ll make myself a drink and forget this stupid night ever happened.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been sitting on this chapter for a bit, but I figured I would go ahead and post it. I hope you all like it. Now I have to actually write more lol
> 
> I feel like this one might be a bit shorter than the others! I’m sorry! I promise to make it up to you guys soon ♥️
> 
> Anyway, I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter... you guys always make me feel better when stupid real life is putting me through the ringer ♥️ Thanks for always reading and being so supportive!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m stuck in bed, unable to do anything, so I figured I might as well write some more lol I’ve been catching up on all of your incredible works and it’s inspired me to keep going. You guys are all amazing.
> 
> I hope you guys like this one as well - let me know what you think!

“So... the Goddess of Spring has a big ol’ crush on the King of the Underworld, huh?” Ares gave her a mischievous smirk.

“HAD!” Persephone groaned and slapped her hand to her face.

“Riiiiight. _‘Had’_… if you say so. I know what I saw, hellcat. That was pure, unadulterated jealousy. Of a _nymph_.” He rolled his eyes playfully.

Persephone crossed her arms over her chest and stared out of the passenger window of Ares’ car.

“Come on, don’t be like that. I was just giving you a hard time. In all seriousness though… if you have feelings for someone, you should do something about it. A beautiful goddess is much better suited for a king than some trashy nymph.”

“Ugh! I flirted with him a lot and he did nothing. He clearly isn’t interested, and I just want to get over this dumb crush and move on with my life!”

“Well, I can always distract you from your little crush…” he winked and waggled his eyebrows at her. She rolled her eyes and slapped his arm.

“Oh my gods! That is NOT going to happen!”

Ares laughed and shook his head.

“I’m just kidding, kiddo. Just trying to lighten the mood.”

They pulled up in front of Persephone’s apartment. He got out of the car and walked around it to open the door for the pink goddess, walking her to her door.

“I had a great time tonight. You’re good company. And if you ever _do_ want to forget about him and get with a young stud, you know where I am!” He chuckled and playfully puffed his chest out.

She giggled and pushed at his chest. In a swift motion, Ares grabbed her hand and pulled her to him, wrapping his other arm around her waist. He leaned down and whispered in her ear.

“Goodnight… Hellcat.” He pressed a feather-light kiss at the corner of her lips, lingering for just a moment.

Persephone was completely frozen. She felt her face begin to burn and her stomach started doing flips. She kept hoping that he couldn’t tell how hard and fast her heart was beating. Her eyes remained wide open as the God of War slowly pulled back away from her. With a wink, he turned and walked towards his car.

“Go-odnight, A-Ares,” she hoarsely whispered after him.

* * *

Persephone unlocked her door and stepped inside, leaning her back against the door as it closed – trying her to control her breathing. As her heart rate returned to normal, she lifted herself away from the door and walked to her bedroom.

Once in her bedroom, she slipped off her heels and began unzipping her dress. Stepping out of the dress, she walked over to the closet and returned it to its hanger. She placed her shoes back in their place in the closet and retrieved her favorite hoodie. She slipped it on and went to grab her favorite sweatpants out of her chest of drawers. Releasing her pinned hair, she walked over to sit on her cushy bed.

She ran her fingers through her hair absentmindedly as she grabbed her phone. Opening her Fatesbook app, she began scrolling through her timeline full of updates from her friends. There wasn’t anything exciting going on, so she decided to log off and lay down.

As she lay in bed, mind racing from the events of the evening, her phone dinged. Her eyes widened when she saw the message preview.

Hades: I j ust wated to tell y ou that yu lokked ibcredble tonite

She stared down at her phone in disbelief.

***DING***

Hades: I nwed to ask yo u somting

***DING***

Hades: Do uyou hatw me,?

***DING***

Hades: I hop yo u dont

***DING***

Hades: I mis

_Is… is he drunk? I hope he’s ok. It couldn’t hurt to check on him, right? I mean… I can send an innocent reply to him asking if he’s ok._

Persephone: Hades. You’re not making any sense. Have you been drinking?

Hades: Mabe

Persephone: Are you ok?

Hades: No

She felt a pull at her heart. _What could be wrong? Why isn’t his girlfriend taking care of him?_

Persephone: Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?

No reply. She waited, watching the typing notification appear and disappear in the chat window. _At least I know he’s still alive, I guess?_

Persephone: Hades? Please tell me what’s wrong.

More silence. More typing dots.

Persephone: Please. What can I do?

Hades: Yu o can hlp mw

Persephone: OK… how? What do you need?”

Hades: You

She felt her palms growing sweaty, her face flushing again.

Persephone: Are you needing me to bring you something?

Hades: Yyes

Persephone: Isn’t Minthe there? Can’t she help you?

She had to know… Hades was drunk texting her and she couldn’t help wondering why, and where Minthe was.

Hades: No

Persephone: Where is she?

Hades: Wh o k nows

_Ok? So, I guess they aren’t together right now. Did they have a fight? Could they have… broken up? Should I go check on him in person?_

Hades: Pls

Hades: I ned u

* * *

  
With that, she found herself putting on her sneakers and hurrying out of her apartment. Before she could come to her senses, she took to the sky. Within moments, she saw Hades’ home coming into focus. She landed gently on the sidewalk in front of his house. _What am I doing? This is stupid. I should leave._ Her feet seemed to be purposely ignoring her thoughts as they carried her towards the house. With a big gulp, she raised her fist on rapped on the door.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I keep saying this, but I really hope you guys like this chapter too. I will forever say this because I really do hope that you like each update lol
> 
> Anyway, thank you so much for reading this and for following this fic. I'm having a lot of fun with this one. I don't know when it'll end... I'm just enjoying letting it play out in my head and dragging you all along for the ride lol
> 
> As always, your comments and kudos are appreciated beyond measure!

***KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK***

Hades lifted his head slightly from his sofa, one eye closed and squinting with the other. If the knocking wasn’t enough to rouse him, the barking of seven dogs. Cerberus abandoned the door and came to nudge and lick Hades to get him to open the door. Hades groaned and turned his head towards the door.

“Come in.”

He watched as his front door opened and a pink blur peeked in from around it. He blinked at the figure thinking it was just his eyes playing tricks on him. He saw the pinkness enter his home, closing the door, and then gliding to his side.

“Hades? Are you ok?”

* * *

With great difficulty, Hades scooted himself to the armrest of his couch, propping his shoulders up against it, attempting a sitting position. Persephone watched this pitiful display and hesitated slightly before reaching out to help. She managed to pull him up into a sitting position and helped him move his back up against the armrest.

She watched as his slumped his shoulder, his head lolling forward. She sat on the couch and turned to face him, concern painting her face.

“Hades? What’s wrong?”

Hades lifted his head and looked at her blearily through half-lidded eyes.

“Kore. Have… I… evertoldyou that you are ver-*hic*-y pretty,” he slurred everything he said – words coming out in a giant jumble most of the time.

“You need to lie down.”

“I’m fiiiiiiiiine.”

“Where is Minthe?”

“Gone.”

“Did you guys have a fight?”

“Fight. Fight? Fight.”

“Hades… you’re not making any sense. What happened?”

“You.”

Taken aback by this, wondering what she could have possibly done, she stared at him with eyes wide.

“Me?? What…”

“You. You hap-pened.”

Feeling the threatening sting of tears, she tore her eyes away from the drunken king and fidgeted with the strings on her hoodie.

“No! You don’t understand. You. But good. UGH!” He was getting increasingly more frustrated with the fact that she wasn’t understanding what he was saying.

“I… I’m sorry. I don’t know what that means. Did I do something wrong? I can leave.”

“Noooooo. Ugh! Nothing you do is wrong. You’re per-*hic*-fect. I saw you at that party and… it’s all different. Minthe is mad. Think she knows…”

“Knows? Knows what?”

Hades dropped his chin to his chest and closed his eyes.

Persephone looked over and saw an empty bottle of scotch on the table next to him and cringed. _Maybe I can make him some coffee and sober him up a little._ She gave Hades one last look over to make sure he wouldn’t fall off the couch and then she went to the kitchen and began to make him coffee. She stood reading the directions on how much coffee to scoop and how much water to use. As the coffee pot did its thing, she flitted around the kitchen getting a mug and looking for something he could eat. _Hopefully I can find something to eat. I’ve heard food helps._

She found bread in a cabinet, along with some peanut butter. Opening the pristine fridge in Hades’ kitchen, she searched for jelly or jam. His fridge was extremely organized. Persephone stood admiring the way all his condiments were grouped together – sweet condiments (jelly, chocolate sauce) were separate from other condiments and arranged in alphabetical order. Condiments that you cooked with but didn’t put on something as simple as a sandwich were in a different place than the other condiments and, again, alphabetized. His crisper was neatly organized, and each item was labeled, laying carefully so that the labels were easily readable without having to open the drawer. She stifled a giggle. _I guess you can’t be a successful ruler of an entire realm if you aren’t organized._

Grabbing the jelly out of the fridge, making a mental note to put it back exactly the way it was before she took it, she began making his sandwich, placing it on a small plate when it was assembled. She noticed that the coffeemaker wasn’t making noise anymore. She turned and saw the pot completely full and the aroma of coffee that filled the kitchen was rich and warm. She took the pot and poured the steaming liquid into the giant mug she had found. She put the jelly away, turning it so that the label was perfectly visible. Turning to grab the coffee and snack, she saw a bunch of bananas on the counter. She snatched one and laid it on the plate. Satisfied with everything, she slowly made her way back to Hades, being very careful not to spill anything.

* * *

Hades lifted his head as the smell of coffee wafted towards him. In front of him, he saw a little pink blur slowly gliding towards him. He watched as Persephone settled in front of him, holding a mug and a plate. He gave a lopsided smile as he took in the sight of her, sighing loudly.

“Here. You need to sober up. Eat this.” She held the plate out in front of him, not trusting him to hold it on his own.

“You’re ama-*hic*-zing. I love you.”

Persephone gasped.

“You… w-what?”

“Love you,” he replied with a very matter-of-fact tone.

Her hands began to shake, and she couldn’t take her eyes off him as he started plucking pieces of his sandwich and stuffing it into his mouth.

“This is good. I like sandwiches.”

_He doesn’t know what he’s saying. That’s all. He’s just really drunk and saying random things._

“Uh. Here. Drink this while it’s still hot.”

“While _you’re_ still hot.” He snorted and chuckled at his joke.

Taking the coffee from her hand, he loudly slurped it down. Persephone watched him finish off the steaming cup of coffee, the sandwich (leaving the crusts), and half of the banana. He dramatically sat back on the armrest once more, clearly full and content.

“Thank you for this. I didn’t dinner. Couldn’t eat dinner.”

“Couldn’t?”

“Nope. You were th-ere. With _him_. Should be with me bec-*hic*-ause I’m the one in love with you.” He shrugged his shoulders.

“Hades…”

“Yes, gorgeous?” He raised his head and gave her a goofy grin, his eyes twinkling – partially from his drunkenness.

“You need to lay down. Get some rest.”

Hades scooted himself down, his head resting still on the armrest. Persephone grabbed the blanket off the back of his couch and gently covered him over with it. As she turned to walk away, Hades quickly reached out and grabbed her wrist. She jumped slightly and looked down at him. He stared back with puppy dog eyes.

“Don’t leave me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole pb&j thing is because I'm super hungry and a pb&j sounds really freaking good lol I have none of the stuff to make it and I can't stand long enough to. So, I gave it to Hades instead so he can enjoy it for me lmao


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath.
> 
> **Fair warning, there are some things in here that could qualify as verbal abuse, etc so I just wanted everyone to know before you start reading**

Hades opened his eyes and looked at his surroundings. His eyes were bleary, and his head was pounding. Sitting up slowly, he rubbed his eyes and his temples. When he opened his eyes again, he saw her. The Goddess of Spring curled up in his oversized chair, making her look even smaller than usual. His heart flipped. She was the picture of adorableness. Her hair had fallen over her eyes and he could hear the tiniest of snores coming from her. Forgetting his pain for a bit, he admired the little goddess as she slept. _How is she so cute all the time?_ His eyes widened and he began frantically looking around the room. _Wait… what happened? How did she get here?_ He noticed the empty scotch bottle on the table. He cringed. Then his eyes flitted over a plate with bread crusts, half a banana, and an empty mug. His heart did that thing again… it was somewhere between somersaults and jumping with electric shocks. _Did she make me food and coffee?_ He groaned rubbing his hand down his face. He didn’t deserve her kindness. Part of him felt guilty, wondering if he had ruined her date. Another part of him, however, really hoped he had. He chided himself for his selfish thoughts. Willing himself to get up, he stood and stretched. Everything hurt. His body felt so weak and heavy. Drinking in excess had never worked out for him before so why in the realms did he think it would help this time.

He sluggishly shuffled his way to his kitchen. He emptied the coffee pot and began preparing for a fresh pot. He smiled thinking again about how Persephone had come to take care of him and stayed. Once he had the coffee started, he went to search quietly for his phone, tip-toeing around trying not to disturb the sleeping goddess.

Finding his phone on the floor next to where he had slept on the couch, he picked it up and walked back to the kitchen, seating himself on a barstool at his kitchen island. He made a face when he saw the sheer amount of notifications her had waiting for him. _I guess it’s time to face the music and work my way through the shitstorm waiting for me._

Tadpole: I don’t know what’s wrong with you.

Tadpole: Big Blue… please don’t ignore me. We can work this out.

Tadpole: I’ll let you make it up to me *wink*

Tadpole: Are you seriously not going to respond to me??

Tadpole: _<pic of Minthe in sexy lingerie>_

Tadpole: Wow. Ok.

Tadpole: You know what, fuck you.

Tadpole: I don’t deserve this shit from the likes of you

Tadpole: Don’t bother responding. I have no desire to talk to you. Fuck off.

Tadpole: Is this because of that little pink slut?

Tadpole: I guess so. Go figure. Is it really worth losing _me_ over a set of huge tits??

Tadpole: They’re probably fake LOL You’re a fucking idiot.

Tadpole: Hey. I’m sorry about last night. I was drunk and Thetis got me all worked up. Forgive me?

Tadpole: This is getting ridiculous.

Tadpole: FUCKING ANSWER ME

Tadpole: I swear to the gods if you don’t answer me, I’ll never speak to you again

Tadpole: You really _are_ just. like. Kronos.

Tadpole: Seriously, fuck you.

_That seems about right._ He shook his head and continued through the notifications on his phone.

****ONE NEW CHARGE****

**FOREVER SEXY *STORE ACCOUNT* - $426.18**

_You’ve got to be fucking kidding me! I told her NOT to use my accounts!_

Hades anger was rising. He was so tired of being taken advantage of and berated for no reason.

A quick thought flashed in his mind and he looked over his shoulder at the still sleeping goddess. _Why is she here?_ He opened the messages app on his phone and searched for her name. He began reading through the chat log, eyes wide with horror. _Oh my gods. I drunk texted her?? I drunk texted her!!! This is humiliating!_ With each message he read from himself to her his cringe deepened. _Well, that’s the end of that. She probably sees me as some drunken, creepy idiot. Wonderful._

Hades got up and walked over to pour himself a cup of coffee. He slurped it down quickly, _burning be damned_, and poured himself another cup. This cup he sipped slowly as he tried thinking of ways to fix everything he had screwed up last night. Fixing things with Minthe was at the bottom of his list – he needed to talk to Persephone first. He had to apologize. He had to somehow salvage their friendship, if anything. He couldn’t lose her from all aspects of his life.

* * *

Hades’ stomach growled. Looking around to make sure it hadn’t woken Persephone, he quietly went to his fridge, retrieving things to make breakfast. He grabbed eggs, cheese, sausage, and biscuits. He made quick work of cracking the eggs and letting them cook over low heat, scrambling them occasionally so that he would have time to prep the rest of the breakfast things. He placed the biscuits on the ready baking sheet and slid them in the oven. He cut the sausage into patties and pulled out another pan so he could fry them. He sprinkled cheese on the almost finished eggs, letting it melt perfectly into them. Pleased with them, he grabbed two plates and divided the eggs evenly between them. Then he grabbed the fully cooked sausage patties and placed them on the plates as well. He bent down and checked his oven. _Almost done_. He finished off his cup of coffee and poured another. Remembering that Persephone doesn’t much care for coffee, he grabbed the orange juice out of the fridge and poured her a glass. Checking the oven once more, he found the biscuits to be perfectly fluffy and light brown. He retrieved them from the oven and gently placed one on each plate.

Satisfied with the breakfast, he carried the plates over to his dining room table, setting them down. He took a deep breath and decided it was time to wake the beautiful flower. He quietly walked over to her, gently brushing the hair across her forehead.

“Kore,” he whispered.

“I made breakfast. Wake up, sweetness. You need to eat. Rise and shine, little goddess.”

With a tiny groan, she opened her eyes and stared up at him. Slowly the realization of where she was hit her and she sat up.

“Hades? What time is it?”

“It’s 7am, sweetness. I made breakfast. I’m sure you’re probably hungry. It’s on the table whenever you’re ready.”

Her stomach growled in response to this conversation and she blushed, placing a hand on her stomach. Hades grinned softly down at her. _She is absolutely adorable. It should be illegal for one goddess to possess so many wonderful qualities._

“I… I guess I may be a little hungry.” She beamed up at him and took his extended hand, allowing him to help her off the chair.

They sat down at the table and began stuffing their faces quietly for a moment.

“I can’t believe you cooked all of this! It’s so good.”

Hades quietly chucked at the enthusiastic way she picked at her biscuit and ate each piece.

“I’m surprised I didn’t wake up while you were cooking! You must be a really quiet chef.” She glanced up at him and grinned, her face scrunched in that cute way he loved so much.

“I made sure to be very quiet. I wanted you to get as much sleep as you could. I hated even waking you up to eat, but I didn’t want it to get cold and you not have a hot breakfast after… after taking care of me last night.” He blushed and lowered his head back down to his food.

“Oh!” She squeaked with a mouthful of food. She swallowed her food and took a drink of her juice.

“Th-thank you for that, by the way. For taking care of me. I… I really appreciate it. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have bothered you. I hope I didn’t pull you away from… I hope I didn’t inconvenience you.”

Persephone’s face burned hot and turned a deep shade of magenta.

“It was no problem. I wasn’t busy. And y-you were fine. Nothing to worry about.”

Hades noticed the blush spreading from her face to her ears. He smiled adoringly at her. She looked up and they locked eyes, both quickly looking away.

“H-Hades.”

“Yes, sweetness?”

“Can I ask you something? If it’s none of my business just tell me! I’m trying to work on boundaries, but I’m not too good at it yet.” Hades chuckled at her.

“You can ask me anything.”

“W-Where’s Minthe?”

Hades’ face dropped. Persephone felt bad for upsetting him, but she just had to know. She wasn’t there taking care of him – why?

“She’s… I don’t know.”

“You haven’t heard from her??”

“Oh, I have. Unfortunately.”

“Unfortunately?”

“They were all… they were a mess.” He didn’t want to go into specifics. He was trying to salvage things from last night… he didn’t want to mess it all back up again.

“Did… did you guys break up?”

Hades jerked his head up, eyes wide.

“I-I guess? I mean, I never out and out said it. This whole ‘proper relationship’ thing was an experiment for both of us, but it’s clearly not going well.” He pushed his eggs around his plate.

“What happened? I mean, what happened to cause you to drink so much? I was worried about you. I was scared you were going to make yourself sick.”

Hades froze at this question. _I can’t tell her that I got insanely jealous seeing her at dinner with someone else and then came home throwing a fit and drinking until I couldn’t see straight._

“I just had a bad night. Nothing to worry about. I just let my drinking get the best of me.” Hades awkwardly cleared his throat and looked back down at his plate.

Persephone knew he wasn’t telling her everything, but she decided to let it go. For now. _Should I bring up any of the things that he said to me last night when he was drunk? I doubt he remembers anything, and he was just drunkenly rambling._ She shrugged a little to herself, unaware that Hades was watching her.

“Is everything ok, sweetness?” He held his breath. _Did I do something embarrassing?_

“Oh! No! I mean, yes. Everything is fine!” She tried her best to sound convincing, but Hades knew better than that.

“Tell me.”

“Tell you? Tell you what?”

“Tell me whatever I did or said that has you in your head. I know how I get when I drink… I’ve heard stories. So, just tell me. I can take it.”

Persephone stared at him, frozen and trying to find the right words. She cleared her throat.

“Well – you, uh… you didn’t make a lot of sense. I just figured everything you said was just drunken rambling and nothing more.”

He squinted at her. _I must have said something really stupid._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The support from you guys is overwhelming and keeps me going! Again, I hope you like this chapter! I'm working on more chapters, so don't fret! 
> 
> Thank you again for reading and all of your comments/kudo. You're amazing and lovely people!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is short and I'm so sorry! I wanted to go ahead and get it out for you guys so that it didn't turn into a looooooooong chapter. The next one should be a bit longer. With surgeon appts and hurting like crazy, I've had a lot of trouble getting comfy to type and then being able to concentrate enough to write anything.
> 
> As always, I really hope you guys like this chapter. I'm sorry if it's not great. I kinda had to tie off this whole part of the series so I can actually continue the fic outside of sitting in Hades' house lol I promise this chapter moves the story forward.
> 
> Anyway, your kudos and comments always giving me much appreciated happiness and joy. Please enjoy! I'll try not to take so long to get the next chapter up. *fingers crossed*

They finished breakfast in very awkward silence. Persephone insisted, against Hades’ protests, on helping clean up the dishes. They took turns stealing glances at each other and looking away in a flash if they met eyes.

_This is bad. I have to fix this. She won’t even look at me._ Hades chest tightened with anxiety as he tried to figure out what could have possibly happened to cause her distance. A dainty throat clear pulled him from his thoughts. He turned to see the little goddess floating near his face, her skin flushed and glowing.

“Hades?”

“Y-yes, sweetness?”

“Can we… talk? About some of the things that happened last night?”

Hades’ heart completely stopped. _Oh gods. What happened? Did… did we _do_ something?? I swear… if I pushed myself on her or hurt her in any-_

Pink hands grabbed his hand and broke his spiraling thoughts. He blinked and looked at her, a blush dusting his cheeks.

“Come on… let’s go sit down.”

She lowered herself to the ground and gently pulled Hades by the hand to sit with her on the couch. He sat stiffly next to her and tightly folded his hands in his lap, keeping a safe and awkward distance from her. She giggled at this and placed a hand on his hands. His eyebrows shot up in surprise and his posture softened a bit.

“Ok, little goddess… what’s up?” Hades gave her a warm smile.

“Hades… I’m really worried about you.”

“W-what do you mean?”

She moved and positioned herself closer to him so that she didn’t have to keep stretching just to touch his hands. Hades watched her as she scooted closer to him, taking one of his hands in hers, and looking up at him with concern. His breath stuttered at their closeness.

“I’m worried about what’s bothering you. And don’t tell me there’s nothing wrong, because I know that’s not true.”

“I… there’s just a lot going on. I just have a lot to deal with. I mean, the Underworld doesn’t run itself.”

“No.”

“No?”

“No. I know that’s not what’s going on. It’s more than that. You’ve been different recently than when we first met. I know it’s not work. Talk to me.”

Hades felt overwhelmed. No one had cared enough to really _see_ him before. Hecate does, but she’s his dearest friend and she’s not very… nurturing. But here he sits, hand in hand with this soft, caring, beautiful goddess looking at him like he actually matters. Tears began prickling at the corners of his eyes. He lowered his head and with his free hand, he fidgeted with the crease in his slacks.

“Hey.” Persephone reached up and cupped his cheek, turning him to look at her.

“Kore… I…”

He looked down into her sympathetic eyes. He took a shaky breath and closed his eyes.

“I haven’t seen my therapist in a while,” his eyes shot opened and he looked down at her. _Shit. I’ve never told her about therapy. She’s going to think I’m weak and pathetic._ “And I’ve not been handling things so well.” The look on her face continued to be compassionate and caring. She wasn’t looking at him like he had suddenly sprouted a second head, so he continued. “When I get overwhelmed, I… drink. Things with Minthe haven’t been going well and it’s started seeping into other aspects of my life…” he paused, wondering if he should confess his jealousy from the night before that had contributed somewhat to his excessive drinking. “I just need to call and make an appointment with my therapist. That’s all. I’ll be ok.”

She felt him stiffen slightly, but she decided not to pry more… he had told her a lot of personal information and she could tell that he wasn’t the sharing type. She slowly moved her hand from his cheek and joined it with her other hand holding his.

“Thank you.”

Hades furrowed his brow in confusion and blinked down at her.

“I know that it took a lot for you to tell me all of that and it means a lot to me. I think it’s a good idea for you to make an appointment. I worry about you… a lot. I don’t like the thought of you sitting here, drunk and alone. I mean, I’ll always be there for you, but I will worry about you a little less if the texts aren’t drunken pleas for help.” She grinned up at him.

He smiled down at her, relaxing his posture a bit.

“I promise… I’ll call. Now, can I ask you something?”

She cocked her head to the side quizzically.

“Sure, I guess.”

“Did… uh… did I do or say anything embarrassing last night?”

Persephone blushed and looked away.

_Damnit._

“Sweetness?”

“You - nope! You just, uh, babbled about food and then… and then nothing! Everything else was just incoherent drunkenness!”

She stood up suddenly, startling Hades.

“I-I have to go! I have things I have to do today. I’m sorry!”

“Oh… ok,” he was still sitting on the couch looking up at her with worry and confusion as she flitted around the room looking for her shoes.

“Well, thanks for coming over to help me. I promise I won’t text you drunk and beg for your help anymore. I’m really sorry to have bothered you.”

Persephone looked down and saw his face had fallen, eyes looking down at his now empty hands. There was a tug at her heart, but she forced herself to maintain her distance.

“You’re welcome. We’re friends… it’s what friends do!”

With that, she headed towards his front door, looking back over her shoulder to see him standing and moving to the door behind her. She gave him a weak smile before stepping outside and closing the door behind her. She took a deep breath and then launched herself off the ground.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fear this one is rather short as well... I suck, I'm sorry! lol I've just been blah and uninspired. I haven't even been staying on top of the wonderful fics you all have posted! I'm a big slacker and I promise I'm going to make it up to you all, but until then... 
> 
> Anyway, here's a new chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it!

***DING***

***DING***

Persephone picked up her phone and glanced down at the screen. _Hades._ She sighed and sat her phone back down next to her on the couch. She didn’t know what to say to him. She had _a lot_ to say, but she couldn’t. His drunken declarations of his feelings for her had her mind reeling. _Does he really have feelings for me? Or was that just the alcohol and loneliness? Maybe he was just upset at Minthe and decided that flirting with me would make himself feel better… or make her mad and THAT would make him feel better._ Lost in thought, she nearly fell off her couch when her phone went off again. She grabbed it and looked at the screen – Hades again.

Hades: Hey. I just wanted to make sure you made it home ok.

Hades: I’m sorry if I did something that upset you. That was never my intentions.

Hades: I won’t bother you anymore. I know you have a lot going on and you don’t need me taking up time you could be spending with… other things.

Persephone: I made it home safely. Thank you for checking on me.

Persephone: Sorry, I haven’t replied. I was reading and didn’t hear my phone. 

Persephone: You’re not bothering me. We’re friends and being there for each other is part of it.

She felt guilty. She knew he was hurting. She didn’t want things to feel weird like this. Hearing him admit to having feelings for her is all she ever wanted - but him drunkenly making those confessions, if the feelings were even real, when she had just seen him out to dinner with _her_ was not the way she wanted to be told. She wanted the feelings to be real. _This is why I wanted to start dating._ She groaned and flopped back on her couch.

* * *

_Persephone sat in the middle of her greenhouse – dark and door-less as always. Vines were crawling their way up every wall and converging on the ceiling. Her eyes were closed as the ground beneath her rumbled. She opened her eyes and a white-hot light glowed from her eyes, filling the room and scorching the vines._

_Her hair whipped around her and she slowly began to float weightlessly from her spot on the ground. She continued rising, red vines covered in thorns growing out and through her hair. Her skin began to give off an ominous red glow. The glow brightened, then suddenly it burst and engulfed the greenhouse in a blinding light._

Persephone shot straight up, gasping, with her sweat-soaked hair matted to her forehead. She looked around the room in a panic. Realizing she was still on the couch in her living room, her breathing began to slow. She scooted herself to sit with her back on the armrest and wiped the sweat from her face. _What the hell was _that_?!_

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope you like this one! It’s different than my other fic and it’s been taking me on a ride while I’ve been writing it lol
> 
> I don’t know how long this series will end up being - I have a feeling it won’t be as short as the last one, at least lol
> 
> If you like it, please let me know! Your kudos and comments give me life! ♥️


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